Boiled sweets for the purposes of the present invention should be distinguished from aerated and grained confectionery products as described in Patent EP-B1-630 573, of which the assignee is proprietor, which consist of marshmallows, caramels, chewy pastes and other tender confectionery products to which the present invention is not attached.
The boiled sweets according to the present invention are characterized by their essentially crystalline state and by a short and crunchy, more or less tender and more or less brittle, texture.
Nowadays, as regards confectionery products and sweetmeats, it appears that new consumer trends are appearing. Notions of nutritional balance and healthy lifestyle are, consciously or otherwise, taken into account in current diets. Although the enjoyment of what is sweet is still very strong, a good number of consumers wish to avoid the problems linked to the consumption of sugars. It is for this reason that confectionery manufacturers have been led to develop sugar-free formulations in which polyols are rightly used because of their harmlessness towards the teeth and of their reduced calorific value compared with sucrose.
One of the great difficulties from which formulators of sugar-free confectionery products cannot escape is that of successfully manufacturing products which are in every respect similar to traditional products to the extent that it is difficult to tell them apart, this being without having to substantially alter or complicate the plants and the procedures in place in industries.
To the knowledge of the inventors, there are currently no technically and economically viable processes allowing the manufacture of aerated and grained sugar-free boiled sweets according to the invention, having the taste characteristics set out above. On the strength of this acknowledged fact, the inventors set out to remedy this deficiency.